Folding stool



Dec. 15l 1925- C. GoETz FoLING sTooL Filed Feb. 19, 1923 2 She ets-Sheet l oooL De`. 15, 1925.Y 1.565.636

C. GOETZ FOLDING STOOL Filed Feb. 19. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 15, 1925. i 1,555,636

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Application led February 19, 1923. Serial No. 619,860.

y To all whom t mam/concern.' be dismounted and rolled or collapsed into Be it known that I, CHARLES Gon'rz, a a small compass.

citizen of the Unit-ed States, residing at'the Other functions and advantages of the city of New'York, borough of Manhattan, invention will appear from the following county of New York, and State of New description taken iny connection with the 60V York, have invented a certain new and usedrawings, whereinful Folding Stool, of which the following is Figure l is a view partly in side elevation a specification, i and partly in section of a foldable 'stool This invention'is a folding stool, and the Constructed in accordance with the invenobjects are, first to provide a simple struction. f

ture the parts of which are foldable into an Figure 2 is a plan view.

out of service compact relation so as to be Figure 3 is a detail view, in section on the stored within asmall space and carried with line 3-3 of Figure 2, illustrating the seat ease as well as to be adapted for easy and member.

second, to retainthe parts when unfolded Of Figure 2.

in irm relation to eachother to the end that Figure 5 iS an enlarged detail section the stool may be used with safety and to villustrating the means for securing one edge preclude accidentel "Collapse under the portion of theflexible seat to one of the weight of an occupant; third, to provide Cilalirleled Seat Teils. f

for an adjustment of the parts whereby the Flgures 6, 7 and 8 are horizontal sectional stool may be used on sloping ground with- VleWSl 011 the lines 6 6, 7-7, and 8--8, re-

out danger of slipping out of place and ac- SpeCt1Ve1y, 0f Figure l.

cidentally unloading the occupant by reason III Cellylng my invention into practice, I

5 of use on e hillside, and, fourth, to enable employ anvunderframing and a seat member, 80

the `seat to be bodily disinonntedA from the the latter being detachable from said underiinderfreniing -to the end that Said Seat and frammg, and each member (the underframthe llldelfleming may be Separately col ing andthe seat) being of collapsible forlapsed into small compact bundles. Y mation to` the end that each may be folded o According to the invention the stool'eoin-' within and into a compact bundle. 85

prises a v*foldable underframingflanda col- The undelfa'ming is Shown more Pallapsible seat member detachable at will from telllalily in Figures l, 6, l and S Sad 1111- sad underframing, derframing is shown as comprising a con- The invention consists further in an unneetllg member A, a number of legs B, and

i derflumng embodying, gJ` Connecting 'meub 2L like number 0f aIIIlS The COIlIlGCtlIlg 90 ber, legs .connected pivotally to Seid memmember is provided with radial arms a, each ber, means for retaining thek legs in firm recessed to producea stop shoulder b, and relation to the member when unfolded for Said member heS en upSfildiIlg bOSS 0, See service, seat carrying arms v,connected pivot- Flgllle l. Through the arms w pass the pins ally to said member, andv means for retainorbolts d, on which' are loosely hung the 95 ing said arms firmly in place in` their unlegsB and arms C, one leg and one arm befolded positions, said legs and said .arms ing fitted t0 turn 0n each pin or bolt cl. being foldable into compact relation with Each leg B Orarm C is composed of chanrespect to each other and to the Connecting nel iron of the required dimensions, thus member. Y i' attainingstrength with a minimum weight, 100

The invention consists, further, of a Seata'nd the Several legs and the arms are S0 member composed of flexible material, stay arranged with respect to the pivot bolts members positioned at the respective sides that they may be folded int@ Compact fela- U of the seat member and affording Support-V tion. When unfoldednA the edge of each leg ing means therefor against sagging under abuts one of the shoulders and the edge of the weight of the occupant, and attaching each arm strikes one face of the hub c, so means co-operating with `the seat member that in the unfolded positions the legs and and the stay members whereby the seat as7 .the arms have firm bearing against a stop n an entirety may be attached to the underwhich tendsto limit the movement of the framing and the whole seat structure may parts on the pivot boltsand to attain staquick unfolding to adapt the device for use; Figure 4 iS a Cross Section on the line 4--4 70!y bility for the stool when unfolded and set up for use.

Means are provided for locking the legs when unfolded, and to this end each leg is provided within the channel thereof` with a .bearing piece e, shown as having an inclined face e and as being secured in place near the pivot bolt by a cross pin c2. lVith these bearing pieces e of the legsteo-operates a slidable locking member E positioned below the connecting member A, said slidable locking member having fingers e3 positioned for wedging engagement with the bea-ring pieces c and operating to press the legs B outwardly so that the pivoted ends ,of said legs are held against the shoulders b. Jonnected loosely with the locking member is an adjusting stem F which is threaded into the connecting member A, the upper threaded part of said stem F extending above the connecting member and being provided with a suitable head and with a joint nut f, whereby the stem may be rotatedto impart movement to the locking member and said stem may be held in place by screwing the joint nut against the connecting member.

Two or more of the legs are provided with feet g, see Figure l, but to adapt the stool to rest' on sloping ground, it is preferredl to construct two of the legs with extensible members, B, each extensible member being of channeled formation and fitted to the channeled legs so as to' slide thereon, see Figures l and 8. The legs having the extensions are provided with apertures y to receive the yoke-shaped latch' G, attached by a cord as g2 to the leg, whereby the extension may be moved` outwardly or drawn inwardly, and it may be locked in either position. j

The legs are connected in pairs' by the cross rods or chains I-I to prevent them from spreading when the stool is unfolded for service.

The arms C are provided at their upper ends with studs z' adapted to enter openings provided in the corner portionsv of the channeled seat rails I, see Figuresl and!v 2;' These channeled rails are' provided at their ends with short arms I7', and at the' junction of these arms with the'` rails the metal is formed with widenedcorners j to accommodate the holes into which are thrust the pins or studs z' of said foldable arms C, thus providing a secure connection for the seat to the arms C of the underframing.

The channeled rails I I are at two sides of the seat J', the two sides of which seat are provided with flexible stays K in the form of link chains, see Figures l and 3. The chains are shown as comprising a series of plates 7c and links 70 pivotally connected by pins 1^?, and the end portions of each stay chain are attached by pins 7:3 to the arms of the channeled rails I. The seat J is composed of leather, canvas, or other fiexible material suitable for the purpose, said seat extending at two of its edges over the stay chains, but at its two other edges the flexible sea-t is shown as being provided with flaps L, each of which is formed into a loop and is encased within the channel of one rail I, said edge portion of the flap L being held within the channeled rail by a rod or locking member m inserted within the loop see Figure 'lo limit the sagging of the flexible seat under the weight ol the occupant, stay bars a are provided below said flexible seat, each stay bar being attached at its ends a to corresponding menibers ofthe jointed stay chains II. Said stay chains have jointed connections at la with the channeled rails I, two remaining margins of the seat are connected detachablyY by the rods-m4 to the channeled rails. The entire seat structure has a locking engagement with. the underframing by the studs enteringthe corner portions j of the channeledvrails, and thus the seat structure can be disn'iounted from the underframing, andthe rods m withdrawn from the loops Z and the channels of the seat rails I, whereupon the seat with the stay chains may, with the channeled rails, be rolled into a compact bundle foruse in transportation.

The mode of using the stool will be readily unzllerstood from the description taken in connection with the drawings. The seat struct-ure is` unrolled and 4the free looped margins of the flexible seat are inserted intovthe channels-i2 of rails I, after which the rods/mf are introduced into the loops Z and within` the channeled rails in order to confine the twov margins of the flexible seatinto the desired relation of the channeled rails. The legs andthe arms of the underframingare unfolded to the limits per mitted by the shoulders b andthe hub cof thev connecting member, and spindle F is rotated forthefingers'e3 of locking member Eltozhaveffirm contact with the members e of! the legs, thus retaining all' parts of the underframing into the required firm relation; The underframing and the seat structure` are assembled by placing the latter over the former ina position forv the studs z to enter the openings in the corne-rs 7' of the seat structure; The stool may be used with safety and; comfort, and, if required, the extension legs B are adjusted to adapt the stool. for use on sloping groundl or on a: hillside. To foldA the stool for convenient transportation, the seat structure is lifted of'fthe studs i, the rods m. are withdrawn, andthe seat structure rolled into a compact bundle. The locking member E is adjusted to release the members e, the arms are folded and the legs are also folded, thereby collapsing the underframing into a compact bundle Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A folding stool embodying a foldable underframe and a collapsible seat structure,

lsaid seat structure being flexible and held in stretched demountable condition to said underframing, said underframing comprising legs and arms and an interposed member to which adjacent ends of said legs and arms are pivoted and means between said legs for distending the latter, said means including wedges on the legs adjacent said interposed member.

2. In a folding stool, a oldable underframing embodying a connecting member having legs and arms pivoted thereto, coopera-ting movable wedging units between said legs for holding the said legs in unfolded relation some of said units being mounted on said legs.

3. In a folding stool, a foldable under-y framing embodying a connecting member, legs pivoted thereto, each leg being provided with a pivoted wedge-shaped bearing member, a 'slidable locking member mounted on the said underframing and contacting with the bearing members, means for adjusting said locking member, and means for supporting a seat member, saidv last-named means being pivoted to the connecting member.

4. In a folding stool, a collapsible seat structure embodying a plurality of rails,

means whereby the said rails may be detachably mounted on a supporting structure, a plurality of stay chains attached to said rails and oldable therewith, a flexible seat, and means for detachably fastening said seat to said rails and short arms at the ends of said rails to which the ends of said stay chains are attached.

5. In a folding stool, a collapsible seat structure embodying a plurality of channeled rails, a plurality of stay chains attached to said rails, a flexible seat provided with loops insertible within the channels of said rails, and locking means engageable with said loops for detachably fastening the seat to said rails.

6. In a folding top for a stool, a bodilydetachable collapsible seat structure embodying a plurality of rails provided with arms, stay chains jointedly connected to said arms of the rails, a flexible seat, and means for securing the seat to said rails.

7. In a folding top for a stool, a bodilydetachable collapsible seat structure embodyf ing a plurality of rails provided with apertured corner portions, stay chains jointedly connected to said rails, and a iexible seat co-operable with the rails and the stay chains and stay bars disposed below the seat and at their ends jointed to said stay chains.

In testimony whereof I have hereto signed my name this 15th day of February, 1923.

CHARLES GOETZ. 

